Students take the WASL this week

Washington students in grades 3 through 8 will be taking the Washington Assessment of Student Learning sometime between now and May 1. High School sophomores are taking their math exam this week. And the high school science test is next week. While students are sitting with their pencils and paper, lawmakers in Olympia are debating how the state’s assessment system should evolve. Plans are under way to make the WASL shorter and to give the test online. And the governor has already signed a bill that allows students who flunked the math WASL in 10th grade to stop trying to pass the test before graduation. High school students are still required, however, to keep taking math classes if they haven’t passed the math WASL.